Apple was once the lone stalwart with its Apple Stores, with all other tech companies either laughing at them or too embarrassed to join in on the fun. That has changed in the last several years, with Microsoft opening its own branded stores, as well as Sony. Now it appears Samsung is entering the fray, with sources indicating that we will see a Samsung retail store in Canada before the year is out.

Something like this would not be unusual for the international mega-corporation out of Korea. Samsung already has an “experience” center in its home country, and had one in the US until this past December. Upon the closing of the US store there was much speculation about Samsung preparing for a retail launch. Apparently that speculation was on point.

Samsung also recently opened a store-within-a-store with retailer Phones 4u in London, UK on Oxford Street. According to the most recent reports, Samsung is planning a mix of full-blown stores and expanded user experience areas inside of other retailers, like the UK location. I, for one, thoroughly enjoy experience stores, where people who are paid to know everything there is to know about the products are available to show them off, and where you can play with things you can’t possibly afford right now.

"We definitely want consumers to experience the Samsung brand in a way that they have not experienced it before," said Samsung Electronics Canada president James Politeski. Don’t know about you, but I hope that includes a crazy-huge touchscreen, such as in AT&T’s 10,500 sq ft geek paradise, and preferably live demos of some of Samsung’s other products. Would a life-sized model of a cabin on the Samsung-made Utopia be too much to ask? Joking aside, are you looking forward to more brand-specific retail stores, or are you a fan of big box, little box—Radio Shack, anyone?—and/or carrier stores?

I don't know if the store would make me more likely to buy products but it would be awesome to get to play and see extensively new Samsung products. If they have a 55" OLED tv set up, a store person would have to kick me out because I would never leave on my own .

Sony had there own stores for a while now way before Apple did - just a small correction.

Personally I do not want to have to run to the apple store to check out apple products, then to the nokia store to compare with nokia products, then to the samsung store to compare the samsung products. I mean seriously... Put similar products under the same roof and save of shoe leather.

Joking aside, are you looking forward to more brand-specific retail stores, or are you a fan of big box, little box—Radio Shack, anyone?—and/or carrier stores?

How many stores are they going to open? One in each of Toronto, Montreal, Calagary, and Vancouver? Doesn't do me a damn but of good. I'm not going into some big city just to go to a Samsung Store or an Apple store, or whatever.

Steve

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Everybody should own at least one Sansa Clip family player. Except maybe the Sport.

There's Samsung shops set up at Telus (network provided sort of, they run on the Bell network) locations. The Telus is calling it your Galaxy Headquarters. On the site they're video's of Telus employees telling how much they love their Sammy devices.

Personally I do not want to have to run to the apple store to check out apple products, then to the nokia store to compare with nokia products, then to the samsung store to compare the samsung products. I mean seriously... Put similar products under the same roof and save of shoe leather.

Exactly. Times I've been in an apple store, once. Times I suspect I'll be in a samsung, nokia or apple store again, 0.

I don't know if the store would make me more likely to buy products but it would be awesome to get to play and see extensively new Samsung products. If they have a 55" OLED tv set up, a store person would have to kick me out because I would never leave on my own .

Sony had there own stores for a while now way before Apple did - just a small correction.

It's hard enough as-is to pull me away from the TVs in Best Buy. And Magnolia Home Theater? Don't even get me started... Does Samsung have any full-blown retail stores anywhere? I know they have a couple experience centers, and a few kiosk-type-things, but I was unaware of any actual stores.